A Milestone Birthday

 

8/12/26 Kim' birthday celebration, University Village

At University Village, Kim’s sketching birthday party was already a treat just by being warm and mostly sunny. To top it off, she brought a magnificent peach galette ala mode from Coyle’s Bakeshop (sorry that I didn’t snap a photo of it, but take my word for it that it was magnificent).

As we all indulged, I sketched Kim and her other guests. Natalie recited a poem she had written to commemorate Kim’s milestone year. When I finished, I handed the sketch to Kim as her gift. (I used a half-sheet of Uglypads paper, which is a fun way to sketch in my usual colored-paper way without having to tear a page out of my sketchbook.)

Relaxed and happy, I looked past our table to sketch the distant scene. Celebrating a friend’s birthday is no different from my own: Another day cherished on planet Earth. (I think about this more often now: What a privilege life is.)

Behemoth

 

8/11/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

Occasionally walking past the latest behemoth to join the ‘hood, I finally stopped to sketch it on a cool, sunny morning. Another walker stopped to see what I was sketching, and it launched a tirade of anger and frustration: These developments do nothing to resolve the severe shortage of affordable housing. The low quality of materials used by this and other notorious developers means the building will likely be torn down in a couple of decades (unlike our own homes that are a hundred years old). We both observed the number of trees that were probably cut down on the back side of the property where three more duplicate houses are in various stages of construction by the same developer. Note the scale of nearby houses.

Activity in the Forest Trailhead

 

8/10/26 Red panda and tree kangaroo, Woodland Park Zoo

I hadn’t been back to Woodland Park Zoo’s new Forest Trailhead exhibit since it opened in May. That time, it had been difficult to see the animals beyond quick, distant glimpses. Last Monday was a good time to return: All the animals were more active, so as they moved around the exhibit, I could follow until they were in better positions to sketch. Carson, the red panda, gave me the best view when he flopped down on a branch to doze.

As usual, I got so excited and engrossed in sketching that I took almost no photos. This photo of one of the tree kangaroos was the only one I remembered to snap.

On my way back out, I stopped to see the Humboldt penguins. A mama gull and her youngster were trying to get in on the penguin feeding. The keeper who was giving a presentation said that mama gull had made a nest in the open-air penguin exhibit and was now raising her chicks there! Although the keepers avoid feeding them, the clever opportunists know when free room and board are a good deal.

Humboldt penguins and an opportunist.

The Interview

 

8/7/26 Whole Foods cafe

I could tell immediately by their body language: A job interview was taking place. After walking to an errand, I had stopped at Whole Foods’ café for an iced Americano. Tempted to sketch them at the adjacent table, I resisted, not wanting to add to the candidate’s stress if she happened to catch me observing them.

Although I could hear the manager’s questions clearly (the position was for a Whole Foods cashier), the candidate’s responses were so quiet that I couldn’t hear them at all. Recalling the many job interviews I had been on in my career, they had all been conducted in proper offices – not in a noisy, distracting café where patrons could easily overhear. It all made me cringe with empathy.

Of the many things I am grateful for about retirement, never having to go on another job interview is near the top of the list.  

Colorful Clouds of Belonging

 

8/9/26 "Clouds of Belonging" installed outside King Street Station

USk Seattle had one of its most colorful outings ever. “Clouds of Belonging,” a temporary installation in front of King Street Station, “is composed of large cloud-like forms that introduce softness, color, and light into the surrounding urban landscape,” according to the city’s Office of Arts and Culture. Artist Alex Proba invites visitors “to move through, pause within, and simply enjoy a bright, sculptural environment designed for connection.” As nearly everyone in the group focused on the sculpture, it definitely formed a connection for all of us.

After finishing the full-color version (top of post) from the railroad overpass, I was going to move on to other subjects. Then as I walked around, I found more viewpoints I liked, so I drew it twice more.

While I ate lunch in the courtyard outside International District/Chinatown Station, Mariners fans continually streamed out of the station and walked in the direction of T-Mobile Park (below, right).

At the throwdown back at the “Clouds,” USk Seattle came through with an impressive variety of compositions. The whimsical clouds were certainly inspiring as well as colorful.

Smokeless in Seattle

 

8/8/26 Woodland Park Rose Garden

When the smoke finally cleared, I rejoiced by throwing all the windows open and heading out for Woodland Park Rose Garden. Disappointed that I had a conflict on the day of a planned USk outing there, I didn’t want to miss sketching those fantastical topiary trees. As many times as I’ve sketched them, I never seem to tire of their challenging, whimsical forms.

Last year I had noted how shaggy they looked, like they hadn’t been trimmed in a while. The gardeners have been busy since then – the trees looked mighty sharp on this visit.

The garden is full of these topiary trees. Here
are a couple more.

Cannot Be Unseen

 

8/6/26 photo reference

In addition to feeling oppressive, our days of unhealthy, smoke-filled skies were frustrating: What a waste of otherwise excellent sketching weather! During an abbreviated morning walk, wishing I could linger for a sketch, I snapped a quick photo of a stunning yellow-green tree. My intention was to sketch from the photo the same day: Maybe the immediacy would help me feel more like I had sketched it from life.

That didn’t work; I still felt like I was just sketching from a photo. Nonetheless, I enjoyed trying to capture the crown’s volume and that brilliant color. Although it wasn’t a conscious choice, I noted afterwards that the Stillman & Birn Delta sketchbook’s off-white paper captured the day’s smoky yellow light.

It was when I was putting the sketchbook on my scanner that I saw it: The tree was a green man’s profile. Auugghh!! Once seen, it cannot be unseen.

Smoky Skyline

 

8/6/26 Skyline from Maple Leaf Park
(As easily as I use brightly colored Uglybooks for everyday sketches,
this is one time I wanted white paper. Fortunately, I always have a
Field Notes in my daily-carry.)

It was Day 4 of our smoky skies. Not nearly as bad as some smoke days we’ve had, when I could sketch the red sun with my bare eyes, it was still rated “unhealthy” by my air quality app. Still, like the previous three days, I went out for abbreviated fitness walks, telling myself I wouldn’t prolong exposure by sketching (and yet each time I did).

From Maple Leaf Park, I can usually see the city skyline distinctly, but behind the sickly yellow haze, it looked smudgy. Beyond that smoke, I knew the sky was blue, and it pained me to waste another beautiful day not being able to sketch outdoors.

But I can’t talk about pain. For that, we need to go to Spokane, where 700 homes and other structures have been lost, and 60,000 residents have had to evacuate to escape the blazes. This is no ordinary wildfire with natural causes, however; authorities now believe the source was arson.

Peach Pie

 

8/5/26 Third Place Commons, Lake Forest Park

When I realized that I had a conflict on the day of the Ballard P-Patch’s annual Art in the Garden festival, I was so disappointed. Of course, I love sketching the flowers, live musicians and people enjoying this community summer event, but we all know the real reason I go: for the bake sale table! Specifically, the peach pie, and most especially when it has been baked by Mary Jean!

When I told her of my disappointment, MJ offered to bake one just for me at a later date, and I could still donate to the P-patch. When Roy heard of the special offer I had received, he decided he wanted a peach pie, too.

On Wednesday afternoon when it was too smoky to sketch outdoors, we met at Third Place Commons to devour peach pie together. With the carton of vanilla ice cream that Roy had picked up from Always Summer (where we’ve sketched before), we had ala mode.

Good friends, freshly baked (that morning!) peach pie ala mode, followed by sketching: Even on a smoke-filled day, it gets no better.

Steer Horns

 

8/4/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

In the nearly 40 years that I have lived in Maple Leaf, I’m almost certain I had never before seen a pickup with steer horns on the hood in these parts (at right). Even more unexpected? The driver who appeared as I was finishing the sketch was wearing dreads.

It just goes to show: Whatever stereotypes I might hold about vehicles or their drivers might be very wrong.

The rest of these walk-sketches are less surprising but no less worthy of observation.

7/16/26 Green Lake (A sudden cloudburst sent me for 
shelter under a tree, where I thought I'd sketchwait it out. 
Unfortunately, my "umbrella" sprang a leak! And apparently Pentel Sign pens contain water-soluble ink.)

7/20/26 Discovery Park

7/21/26 Maple Leaf

7/22/26 Maple Leaf

7/29/26 Maple Leaf

8/1/26 Maple Leaf

The Bubbleator Lives Again

8/3/26 17th NW & NW Market, Ballard neighborhood

Although I probably did ride it, I don’t remember the Bubbleator when it debuted at Seattle’s Century 21 World’s Fair in 1962. I wasn’t quite four then, so I don’t recall anything about the fair (though my sibs have told me I was cranky through most of it). What I do fondly remember is riding the Bubblelator regularly years later, as the transparent acrylic sphere continued to carry Food Circus (later called the Center House) visitors up and down between two floors for nearly 20 years.

Apparently the original Bubbleator is somewhere in Des Moines. An exact replica, however, now stands on the roof of Ballard Realty. Realtor and building owner Ray Poletti built it himself at a cost of $200,000 (conservative estimate, he says). He used the original as a model.

I can’t decide which is more astonishing: That he was able to replicate it so precisely or that he wanted to in the first place. (Read the Seattle Times article linked above for more details; it also talks about other odd Seattle memorabilia.) In any case, how could I resist sketching it?

Standing at the busy, very noisy intersection in downtown Ballard, I imagined the one important detail missing from that exact replica: A young woman dressed in a Jetsons-style outfit who operated the Bubbleator (the article says Poletti bought one of those original outfits at a consignment shop and is working on replicating it). And by “operated,” I mean she opened and closed the doors, distributed crowds inside the bubble, and pushed buttons to make it go up or down. As a preteen, I thought it was a pretty cool job for a young woman.

Blue Angel Watchers

 

8/2/26 Maple Leaf Park

I enjoy going to Maple Leaf Park for the Blue Angels’ annual Seafair show, but not to watch the planes. Greg and I always enjoyed doing it together: He went for the planes while I went to sketch the viewers.

Things we used to do together still bring me joy, but now they’re laced with sadness. That seems to be my definition of grief.

My snack while I waited for the watchers.

Sharing My Sketch Journal Process

 

An enthusiastic, open-minded group of students!

While the pet portrait workshops I taught last spring were more about developing drawing skills and learning brush pen or colored pencil techniques, the one I taught on Saturday was about a process that’s near and dear to my heart: Keeping a daily sketch journal.

Regular blog readers know that it’s a process I’ve been developing for myself for many years, but it’s only been the last three years that my practice finally  “stuck.” Eager to share that process in person, I was rewarded by enthusiastic, open-minded students who were willing to try things that may have been outside their comfort zone. Some were sheer beginners, and many had not sketched on location before.

8/1/26 Here's my own sketch journal page from our first exercise, which turned out to be a spontaneous demo when a student asked how I sketch people.

We started the workshop at the ArtSpot store (the workshop’s sponsor), where I passed around several of my own sketch journals and talked about my many failed tries – and the one successful one. After explaining my plan for the morning and discussing recommended art supplies (of course), we headed out for the first sketch location. Our first stop, though, was to get a beverage or (you guessed it) a pastry to start our sketching out right!

Lacking a café where 14 people (including myself and one class assistant) could sit together, I chose a location I was familiar with from the sketch walk I had led during Sketcher Fest. Using the plentiful benches of the Veterans’ Plaza, we stayed together to try the process I had described: Sketch our food or beverage first as an easy “entry” to the page spread, then sketch whatever grabbed our attention around us.

Students hard at work at Edmonds' Veterans' Plaza.

I was happy to observe relaxed conversations among students. This plaza is better than any classroom... plenty of benches for all.

After giving individual feedback, I knew they were ready for the next step. This time we all scattered out to the Edmonds Summer Market, which was in full swing by then. Their assignment was to make a series of sketches with written comments that would tell a story in answer to the question: What did you experience at the market? I encouraged everyone to observe with all their senses, not just sight. The market is full of sounds, scents and weather to feel!

After we all scattered through the market, I lost sight of most students, so I didn't get more photos. But I caught these two sketching from one of my own favorite spots at this market: It's a great view from behind a flower vendor's booth. 

About an hour later, we regrouped at Veterans’ Plaza to share our sketches and takeaways from the process. It was gratifying and rewarding to hear that students had been encouraged and excited by their first try at a daily sketch journaling practice.

Check out our colorful throwdown! ArtSpot carries Uglybooks. It's possible I may be an "influencer." Ha-ha!!

Here's my own answer to the question: "What did you experience at the market?"

Photo courtesy of ArtSpot

Photo courtesy of ArtSpot

Sammamish River Trail

 

7/31/26 Freeways criss-cross over the Sammamish River in Bothell.

Ten miles of paved trail for bicyclists, runners and walkers, the Sammamish River Trail goes all the way from Marymoor to Bothell. Although I’d sketched the Sammamish from Bothell Landing a few times, Brackett’s Landing a mile or so east was new to me. That was the meetup point with Allan, Roy, Dave and Gabi on a beautiful morning.

Thumbnail for sketch above

When I was invited, I had been promised freeway overpasses – I’m in! When I arrived, though, all I saw was the green, serene river with a few ducks floating by. Huh?

It turned out that was just the parking location. Walking 10 minutes or so on the trail brought us to the spot that Dave called the “spaghetti monster” of vertical and horizontal concrete made further chaotic by new construction. Although I had brought along earplugs, I was surprised that I didn’t need them. Best of all, we had plenty of deep shade from the overpasses to choose whatever composition we wanted.

Daunted by what I saw in every direction, I made a thumbnail of the vertical view I chose to see if everything would fit. Liking the composition, I moved on to the larger color version (top of post).

After tackling the concrete jungle, we all agreed that the serene piece of river where we parked would be a welcome relief. My challenge was to distinguish the water reflections from the trees and foliage all around (below). I joked that I was channeling Monet during his cataract phase.

Whether natural or humanmade, the sights from the Sammamish River Trail are a sketcher’s paradise, especially when it’s cloudless and 74 degrees. Ahhh, summer in Seattle!

A 10-minute walk from the Spaghetti Monster is this stretch of serenity.

A 180-degree turn from the scene I sketched are more more tangles of spaghetti waiting to be connected.

Tina, Allan, Gabi, Roy and Dave take on the Spaghetti Monster!

Seeing But Not Sketching the Whole

 

7/30/26 Roosevelt and U-District neighborhoods

Walking to an errand in the University District via the Roosevelt neighborhood, I spotted a crane at a construction site of the new “Roosevelt Manor” (ostentatiously declaring its establishment in 2027 [eyeroll emoji here]). Attracted as I am to cranes, I usually like to sketch their entire inverted-L shape. This time I thought I’d zoom in on two small features I usually don’t observe closely: The tiny elevator that carries crew members up and down, and the small pulley and chain assembly that hooks onto things it hauls. Without context, they seemed more intriguing than they usually do.

Amused, I decided to fill the rest of the page with two more things that were entirely visible to me but deliberately drawing only some parts. Not drawing the pointed top of Blessed Sacrament’s steeple took willpower – that’s the part of all steeples I enjoy drawing the most!

Despite that, I had great fun challenging myself to avoid drawing the whole of what I see. It’s not easy! My brain always wants to complete the picture.

Process note: This type of walk-sketching – having no clue what I will draw until I see it – is still one of my all-time favorite forms of sketching on location. A mile and a half feels like nothing when I’m continually looking for the next sketch. How fortunate I am to be so easily entertained!

Discovery Park Vista

 

7/28/26 Puget Sound from Discovery Park

The closest I have ever seen a Cooper's hawk!

Seattle’s largest park and full-on forest in the middle of the city, Discovery Park is an urban gem of hiking trails, open meadows, cliffs and streams. After my unguided wandering of the park a few weeks ago, I invited Nilda to go with me last Tuesday. Much more familiar with the park than I am, she led me to a vista of Puget Sound at the western bluff. Though breezy and partly cloudy, the afternoon was a lovely time to walk, talk and sketch.

Bonus: We spotted a Cooper’s hawk (ID’d by the Merlin app by its call)! The park is a favorite among birders.

Once More at Thornton Creek

 

7/27/26 Thornton Creek, Northgate

I seem to have taken it on as a personal summer mission to introduce my sketching friends to Thornton Creek! It’s such a serene yet fully accessible gem in the middle of otherwise bustling Northgate. This time I met Mary Jean and Roy there on a sunny but breezy morning.

As much as I was cowed by all the foliage at Kruckeberg Garden last week, Thornton Creek is somehow friendlier to me. There’s plenty of multi-layered textures and subtle color differences to be endlessly challenging, yet there are also enough solid shapes to help guide the compositions. It also has a lot more light. This time I looked straight down into the winding creek at the center of the park (above).

With the few minutes before our meetup, I sketched a favorite Japanese maple tree (at left) that I’ve captured at least once before.